Gunnar Nelson faces Alan Jouban this Saturday night in London. The fight is the co-main event of UFC Fight Night at the O2 Arena.
Gunnar hasn’t fought in 10 months. A freak accident on a UFC open workout in Dublin caused Gunnar to withdraw from a scheduled fight against Dong Hyun Kim.
10 months isn’t that long of a time away from the cage but there are still questions about ring rust. However, that is something Gunnar does not believe in. If you are thinking about ring rust or how much time has passed since you stepped into the cage, you are probably going to feel some ring rust. In his opinion, ring rust is something you shouldn’t be thinking about; each fight is just a different and a unique experience.
Fight week is mostly about waiting. Waiting for your next interview, waiting for your glove fitting, waiting for the weigh ins, waiting for the fight. Nothing is better than a video game to play on your mobile phone during those waits.
It was Flappy birds the last time Gunnar fought in London but now it’s Beach Buggy. I don’t know if there is any connection between his fighting skills and gaming skills, but he seems to pick up every game pretty quickly.
During one of the boss races Gunnar was struggling to beat the boss. When he finally beat the boss there was this genuine expression of joy and victory, something he hasn’t even expressed after his wins in the UFC. I have never seen him celebrate this much.
Now the weight cut is done, all the interviews are finished and it’s time to fight. Although Gunnar doesn’t cut too much weight, it’s never a pleasant process to not eat and drink for some time. I know that well myself, had to wait for 45 minutes for my food at a restaurant yesterday.
Like the last time, Gunnar’s walk in song will be Way Down We Go by the Icelandic band Kaleo. A fitting title for Gunnar’s fights as he will most likely drag this fight to the ground at some point in the fight. Like the last time, Gunnar will hope to fight without wraps as he likes to get a good feeling for his hands. The fight against Tumenov was the first he was allowed to fight without wraps and hopefully it will be the same against Jouban.
Now it’s time for Gunnar to relax, have a nice steak dinner tonight and get the W tomorrow night.
